Blog
Oh brothers make football a South Korean family affair
By Brad Bournival
From Korean High Judo champion to offensive lineman for the South Korea national football team, Oh Seung Jun’s path to the pigskin has been an interesting one.
Seung (photo above) was born in Busan, South Korea, but kept finding his way to the United States until one day he decided he’d take a trip and find a home.
Ten years later, Seung, 25, is not only loving the game of football, but loving the life he’s made for himself in Fontana, Calif.
“I used to be in Judo and my aunt lived in California, so I was always here,” Seung said. “I liked the weather. I liked everything. I kept visiting. I called my dad and told him, ‘Dad, I want to live here.’ I went back and applied for a visa and came back. The first year I lived with my aunt and then a year later my entire family applied for a visa and moved here.”
How football got in the mix is even more interesting. A student at Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., Seung desperately wanted to fit in.
That meant saying yes to virtually everything his friends and mentors asked despite sometimes not knowing the language.
Enter the game.
“That’s a funny story,” Seung said. “I couldn’t speak English at all when I got here, but I didn’t want to act like I didn’t know it. One of the coaches asked me if I liked playing football, I was like, ‘Uh huh. Uh huh.’ And they put me in sixth period playing football.
“As a lineman, contact is man-to-man. In Judo, everything is about using balance and momentum. I found the same thing in football. When they pull, I push. I use their momentum. It’s easy to me.”
Since then, he and his brother Dong, a 5-foot-9, 216-pound defensive linemen for South Korea, have made the game their own.
It has helped their coach Seong Il Baek tremendously.
“Having these two brothers on our team definitely upped the level of our football team, especially Seung Jun,” Baek said. “He became a leader among our group. Right now, he’s stepping up to help our players to do better. At the same time, he’s also coaching them up because as you know he played NCAA football. He knows all the situations and proper techniques.
“As for (Dong Jun), it’s the same thing. He may be the youngest player on our team right now, but he’s someone who really steps up.”
The two are not only stepping it up on the field, they’re helping out in life as well.
Coming to the United States to play in the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) World Championship can be daunting enough. Trying to adapt to the American way of life for the next two weeks can be downright chilling.
“The most important thing about having these two is they add a different vibe,” Baek said. “They have the American culture mixed into their lives, which none of these players have ever seen or felt. It’s a different mix that brings out another side of our players.”
While the games might wrap up on July 18 for South Korea, don’t expect play to end for Seung and Dong.
At 6-3 and 320 pounds, Seung, who played at North Carolina Central in college, was a member of the APFL’s California Sharks last season.
Dong, 20, is following the same path as his brother as a junior college student at Chaffey College and hopes to land at a Division I program as well.
Because, just like his brother, Dong sees more in football than just a game.
“I want to learn something,” he said. “I want to make a lot of friends and play some tough football.”
